MAG AJL ONLINE NOVEMBRE 2016

GM Maurice Elmalem is a Seven Time World Champion, 7th Dan Black Belt with W.T.F.
9th Baysa/Dan/KUF and 10th Dan Black Belt with PWMAF.
He holds a PHD in Martial Arts from the National Dragon Council University of Asian Studies, Virginia, USA,
Eight Guinness World Records, a Seven Time U.S. Cup Gold Medalist and Four Time AAU Champion.
To say that Master Maurice Elmalem is a perfectionist
would be an understatement. Whatever
this man tries, he wills himself to accomplish at the
highest form of anyone’s game. In 2001, he earned
a place in the Guinness Book of World Records by
smashing 50 sheets of glass with a knife-chop that
sliced through all 50 sheets. He is a world taekwondo
federation 8 Dan and a PWMAF ten Dan and holds seven
world records. He is a seven-time U.S. Cup gold
medalist and a four-time renowned grandmasters
and has accumulated over 700 trophies and 50 gold
medals in fighting and breaking. In his profession as
a general contractor, he is listed in (Who’s Who” in
the east for outstanding contribution to architectural
design, and was voted among the “Top 400 General
Contractors in the United States”. He is gifted musician,
artist, sculptor, marathon runner, photographer,
craftsman, and real estate developer.
In the following, Master Elmalem talks about his success
in the martial arts and what drives him to perfection.
That is how I felt in love with martial arts. Then there
was the first class that I attended in the United
States. I was 16-years-old and alone in New York
City; my family was living in Israel. I was not afraid to
challenge the teacher who was conducting the class.
When the master approached me, it was the most important
moment of my life. The grandmaster asked
me ‘Do you know how to fight?” I said “Yes, sir, I will
show you”. At that point, my life was on the line. I
did not know that I was facing world champion Joe
Hayes or that the grandmaster was Dr. Richard Chun.
Suddenly, I was trying to fight this great world
champion. His techniques flew right by me.
Thank God, reflex took over. I blocked as many techniques
as I could and fought back as well as I could.
Fortunately, I got out of it alive but I was not afraid. I
had confidence in myself and showed no fear in my
fighting. Dr. Chun invited me to join his school and I
am still his student at the same school for the last 44
years.
Why did you want to become a martial artist?
It goes way back to when I was a kid. I witnessed
many fights in Morocco, Israel and France. In those
days, my father did not have enough money to enroll
me in a private school to learn martial arts, so I
had to begin on my own. I learned street fighting to
protect myself from kids who attacked me in school.
I went on to search for the sport that would be most
beneficial to me for self-defense and something that
I could enjoy.
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